In The Afternoon

A poem by James Whitcomb Riley

You in the hammock; and I, near by,
Was trying to read, and to swing you, too;
And the green of the sward was so kind to the eye,
And the shade of the maples so cool and blue,
That often I looked from the book to you
To say as much, with a sigh.

You in the hammock. The book we'd brought
From the parlor - to read in the open air, -
Something of love and of Launcelot
And Guinevere, I believe, was there -
But the afternoon, it was far more fair
Than the poem was, I thought.

You in the hammock; and on and on.
I droned and droned through the rhythmic stuff -
But, with always a half of my vision gone
Over the top of the page - enough
To caressingly gaze at you, swathed in the fluff
Of your hair and your odorous "lawn."

You in the hammock - and that was a year -
Fully a year ago, I guess -
And what do we care for their Guinevere
And her Launcelot and their lordliness! -
You in the hammock still, and - Yes -
Kiss me again, my dear!